I Harvested Potatoes
SCRITCH, SCRITCH!
SCRITCH, SCRITCH!
Yeong-ung was carving wood with a carving knife.
There was something he needed to make before harvesting the potatoes.
SCRITCH!
“Mmm~ This should be enough, right?”
Yeong-ung nodded in satisfaction as he looked at what he had made.
DING!
[You have successfully crafted a tool.]
[Craftsmanship has a positive effect on the crafted item.]
[The item has been adjusted by the effect of Craftsmanship.]
[The item’s options have been adjusted by the effect of Craftsmanship.]
[Tool Crafting skill experience has increased slightly.]
[You have successfully crafted a Honey Barrel.]
Yeong-ung had made a wooden container for storing honey.
“Inspect!”
[Honey Barrel]
Grade: E
Description: A barrel made to store honey.
It is well suited for preserving honey.
Usage Requirement: Level 1 or higher.
Durability: 1,130/1,130
Options: Enhanced Sealing.
Capacity + 25%
“Craftsmanship really does make a difference.”
Unlike when he first made a hand hoe, this was his first time doing this kind of work, yet it had been easier than expected.
It was all possible because he was receiving the benefits of Craftsmanship.
“Honeybee.”
BUZZZZ~!
“From now on, collect the honey in this barrel.”
When Yeong-ung pointed at the barrel, the honeybee flew up and down to show that it understood.
“Good. Then let’s harvest the potatoes now.”
“Yes! Squee!”
Yeong-ung picked up his hand hoe and headed toward the garden plot where he had planted the potatoes.
This was the moment Yeong-ung enjoyed most.
“What kind of potatoes will we get?”
The moment of harvest was always enjoyable.
How could it not be when it was the moment he saw the fruits of his labor with his own eyes?
“Let’s see…….”
Yeong-ung carefully moved the hand hoe, digging into the soil and lifting out the potatoes buried beneath it.
He worked delicately so that he would not accidentally damage them.
[You have used the Harvesting skill.]
[Harvest Speed + 13%]
[Stamina Consumption While Harvesting – 13%]
[Crop Condition Adjustment.]
[You have harvested a Wind Potato.]
[Harvesting skill experience has increased slightly.]
[You have gained Class Experience.]
“Oh! It’s big, isn’t it?”
“It’s big, squee!!”
The potato was a little misshapen, but it had grown to about the size of a fist and looked delicious.
A pleased smile spread across Yeong-ung’s lips.
This was why farming was so enjoyable.
Farming was construction.
You had to lay a foundation, then calmly stack bricks called effort one by one.
If you made even a small mistake or rushed out of greed, the building would collapse.
Farming was the same.
No matter how easy a crop was to grow, poor care could leave you with a useless potato just as surely as a poorly built structure could collapse.
Steadily.
Without getting greedy, you had to build things up calmly to produce healthy potatoes like these.
“Good. This is how they should turn out.”
It was a satisfying result.
As always, the moment when all his hard work finally bore fruit was exhilarating.
DING!
[You are the first Revelator to personally harvest a potato imbued with the power of a spirit.]
[From now on, Wind Potatoes can be cultivated exclusively by the Spirit Farmer, ‘Yeong-ung.’]
[Without your permission, no one can cultivate or collect seeds from ‘Wind Potatoes.’]
Yeong-ung had now obtained exclusive rights to the potatoes.
From now on, they were a monopoly crop that no one but Yeong-ung could cultivate.
“Inspect!”
[Wind Potato]
Grade: E
Description: A delicious potato grown with the devoted care of a highly skilled farmer.
Its flavor is mild and smooth.
Eating it is extremely filling.
It contains Spirit Power.
When consumed, the options remain active for 60 minutes.
Cultivator: Yeong-ung.
Options: Agility + 10
Movement Speed + 5%
Attack Speed + 5%
Evasion Rate + 5%
Satiety + 20%
“Nice.”
The options were not bad.
And since it raised Satiety by 20% at once, there was no way it could be anything but useful.
“All right! Let’s keep harvesting!”
“Squee! I’ll help too!”
Pepper found a spot and started digging into the ground.
SCRABBLE, SCRABBLE, SCRABBLE!
Pepper rapidly worked its front paws through the soil, then grabbed the vine with its mouth when a potato appeared and pulled.
“Squeeeeeee!!!”
Maybe because the potato was buried deep, Pepper could not pull it out easily.
With no other choice, Pepper dug away a little more soil before finally pulling the potato free.
“Squee! Master! I pulled out a potato, squee!”
“Oh! Good job. Keep going.”
“Squee!!”
When Yeong-ung praised it, Pepper happily wagged its tail from side to side.
Then it busily went back to digging for more potatoes.
“I can’t lose either.”
This was Yeong-ung’s Farm.
He could not just leave all the work to Pepper.
Yeong-ung worked his hand hoe diligently as well.
[You have used the Harvesting skill.]
[You have harvested a Wind Potato…….]
[Class Experience…….]
[Your level has increased.]
“Phew…….”
About three hours later, the potato harvest was finished.
“Pant, pant…… Squee…….”
“Good work.”
“Squee…….”
“Let’s see…… The potatoes…….”
Yeong-ung checked the potatoes.
He had harvested around 294 in total.
‘The germination rate is still pretty low. Still, I guess this isn’t bad?’
“It’s a shame, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Yeong-ung opened the Status Window.
[Status Window]
Name: Yeong-ung.
Level: 27 Experience: 1.01%
Class: Spirit Farmer.
Title: Discoverer of the Spirit Realm.
Health: 7,500/7,500 Spirit Power: 16,000/16,000
Satiety: 29%
<Stats>
Strength: 45 + 50 Stamina: 35 + 40 Agility: 30 + 40 Wisdom: 5 + 40 Luck: 10 + 40
<Special Stats>
Spirit Power: 25 + 135 Craftsmanship: 10 + 40
Remaining Stat Points: 10
‘I forgot to allocate them?’
He had leveled up before, but had forgotten to distribute his stat points.
‘For now, I’ll put about five into Agility and five into Stamina.’
After distributing the points, Yeong-ung closed the Status Window.
DING!
[Satiety has fallen below 30%.]
[You need to consume food.]
[If Satiety falls below 20%, your physical abilities will decrease significantly.]
“I should eat something soon.”
“Squee…… I’m hungry too, squee…….”
“Then should we boil some potatoes?”
“Squee!!”
“Then…….”
Yeong-ung took several potatoes and went inside the temple.
Boiling potatoes was simple.
First, he washed the dirt off the skins thoroughly with water.
Then all he had to do was put them in a pot with water and boil them.
“This should be enough, right?”
Yeong-ung poked one lightly with a chopstick.
It slid in smoothly without catching, so the potatoes seemed to be cooked properly.
DING!
[You have completed Delicious Boiled Potatoes.]
[Cooking skill experience has increased.]
[Due to the effect of the title, ‘Eating Is Part of Cooking!’, additional skill experience has been gained.]
“Inspect!”
[Boiled Wind Potato]
Grade: E
Description: A potato personally boiled by a cook whose skills are still immature.
It has a nutty and mild flavor.
Eating it provides a strong sense of fullness.
It is imbued with Spirit Power.
When consumed, the options remain active for 72 minutes.
Cultivator: Yeong-ung.
Options: Agility + 12
Movement Speed + 6%
Attack Speed + 6%
Evasion Rate + 6%
Satiety + 30%
‘Looks like it cooked pretty well.’
Yeong-ung carefully peeled the skin.
White steam rose as the smooth surface beneath was revealed.
Yeong-ung took a big bite of the potato.
“Hot!”
It was a little hot, but still edible.
MUNCH, MUNCH…….
SMACK, SMACK…….
“Not bad.”
It was his first time eating a potato plain without salt or sugar, so he had been a little worried.
But it tasted better than expected.
It was not sweet like a sweet potato, but he liked its strong nutty flavor.
“Nice and mild.”
It was soft and moist.
And because of its clean, mild flavor, it was easy to eat without feeling heavy.
“Squeeeee…….”
“Ah, I’ll give you some too. Here. It’s hot, so be care—”
“Squeak!”
“—ful, is what I was about to say…… Aren’t you a little too impatient……?”
“Squee…….”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m okay, squee!!”
“Then eat carefully this time.”
“Squee!”
Pepper carefully blew on the potato, then took a big bite with the skin still on.
MUNCH, MUNCH!
SMACK, SMACK, SMACK!!
“It’s delicious, squee!”
“Right?”
“Squee!”
SMACK, SMACK!
Pepper ate the potato eagerly, probably because it was hungry.
After working that hard, it was only natural.
NOM, NOM.
Yeong-ung and Pepper sat there and ate another potato each.
The potatoes were delicious.
But unlike sweet potatoes, eating them plain without salt or sugar started to get a little monotonous.
“Ah! I have that.”
Yeong-ung called the Spirit Honeybee from outside.
BUZZZZ?
“Can you drizzle some honey on this?”
BUZZ.
At Yeong-ung’s request, the Spirit Honeybee flew up and down in agreement.
Then it dropped a few drops of honey onto the potato Yeong-ung was holding.
“Let’s see…….”
NOM!
“Oh…… This is even better.”
It tasted better than he expected when he spread honey over it instead of sprinkling sugar or something else.
The sweetness of the honey combined with the potato’s distinctive nutty, mild flavor, making it much easier to eat.
“Squee…… Me too, squee!”
When Pepper stared at it pleadingly, the Spirit Honeybee gladly drizzled honey over Pepper’s potato as well.
“Squee! Master! It got even tastier!”
“Right?”
Pepper seemed to like it too.
‘Yeah, potatoes should at least taste this good.’
Long ago, he had once bought butter-grilled baby potatoes at a highway rest stop with his parents.
It was hard to describe how disappointed he had been.
‘The potatoes were so small they barely felt worth eating.’
They had even been selling six potatoes for an absurd 8,000 won.
It was ridiculous profiteering.
If they were going to charge that much, the quality should at least have been good, but they sold ones that had been prepared in advance, and once they went cold, they tasted awful.
‘Mom and Dad ate them while cursing the whole time.’
Even now, remembering that sense of betrayal made the back of his head tingle.
After that, even when he stopped at highway rest areas with his parents, he never bought potatoes again.
It was far better to spend the money on something else.
“Squeegh…… I’m full, squee…….”
Pepper patted its swollen belly with its front paws.
Yeong-ung checked his own Satiety and saw that it had risen to 90%.
“Then that’s enough eating for now…….”
Yeong-ung and Pepper left the temple.
The potato harvest was finished, so now it was time to collect seeds.
“Seed Collection!”
[You have used the Seed Collection skill.]
[Collecting seeds from Wind Potato.]
DING!
[Seed Collection successful.]
[You have obtained 1 Wind Potato Seed.]
[Seed Collection skill experience has increased slightly.]
[Due to the effect of the title, 1+1 Seed Collection, you have obtained an additional seed.]
[You have gained Class Experience.]
Now that the potato harvest was finished, he had to collect seeds so he could plant potatoes again.
Farming was a cycle.
Once crops were harvested, those very crops became the beginning of the next round of farming.
‘That’s what I really like about it.’
“Master, here you go, squee!”
“Thanks.”
As if it knew exactly what Yeong-ung was trying to do, Pepper brought him another potato.
Yeong-ung accepted it and used the skill.
“Seed Collection!”
That day, Yeong-ung harvested potatoes.
Through Seed Collection, he obtained 113 Wind Potato Seeds and raised the Seed Collection skill to level 4.
***
That night,
SHAAAAA…….
An unexpected rain began pouring over the Spirit Realm.
At first, only a few small droplets fell, but as time passed, more and more came until it finally turned into a downpour.
The rain continued for several days.
And when it finally stopped,
“……This is…….”
Something astonishing had happened in the garden plots.